Help me find a good set of prompts for reflecting on [waves hands]
March 24, 2022 4:18 PM Subscribe
At the end of April I'll be going on my first vacation since the pandemic began that consists of more than socially distanced visits with elderly relatives. In addition to reading entire novels on the beach, I'd also like to use the time for a bit of reflection on everything that's happened over the past few years. Can the hive mind recommend a journal with prompts or other resource that might help me to reflect on some of my experiences of uncertainty, lack of control, and worry that have been frequent over the past few years?
To preempt the usual advice, I also have a therapist and meds! I'm looking for prompts/resources that might help me process everything that has happened since the pandemic began. I think one of the long standing psychological effects of all this uncertainty has been some damage to my self-confidence/sense of self, so I think anything that relates to knowing yourself could be useful. Thanks!
To preempt the usual advice, I also have a therapist and meds! I'm looking for prompts/resources that might help me process everything that has happened since the pandemic began. I think one of the long standing psychological effects of all this uncertainty has been some damage to my self-confidence/sense of self, so I think anything that relates to knowing yourself could be useful. Thanks!
Best answer: I have recommended this often, but I've really appreciated YearCompass's prompts on reflecting on the prior year. (And it's free!) When I first used it, it finally became the kick in the butt to actually go figure out what to do about my anxiety.
posted by ellerhodes at 5:42 PM on March 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by ellerhodes at 5:42 PM on March 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
Three prompts might be (???):
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." — Lao Tzu (disputed)
posted by forthright at 6:11 PM on March 24, 2022
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." — Lao Tzu (disputed)
posted by forthright at 6:11 PM on March 24, 2022
reflect on some of my experiences of uncertainty, lack of control, and worry
This is highly idiosyncratic "advice" which you are strongly advised to take with an almighty crapton of salt (so to speak), but high-powered synthetic psychedelics pretty much shattered any concern I ever had about lack of control (which is to say, the absence of control no longer bothers me in the least; I just shrug, work with what I've got, and move on). This has included some very stressful (near-death) experiences that otherwise might've wrecked me.
Your Mileage May Very Much Vary, but even so, profoundly useful for me and several of my friends. It's probably one of the main reasons I'm still alive, but it's not for everyone and I am only saying I found them useful, which does not mean they're necessarily a good idea for you.
posted by aramaic at 6:23 PM on March 24, 2022
This is highly idiosyncratic "advice" which you are strongly advised to take with an almighty crapton of salt (so to speak), but high-powered synthetic psychedelics pretty much shattered any concern I ever had about lack of control (which is to say, the absence of control no longer bothers me in the least; I just shrug, work with what I've got, and move on). This has included some very stressful (near-death) experiences that otherwise might've wrecked me.
Your Mileage May Very Much Vary, but even so, profoundly useful for me and several of my friends. It's probably one of the main reasons I'm still alive, but it's not for everyone and I am only saying I found them useful, which does not mean they're necessarily a good idea for you.
posted by aramaic at 6:23 PM on March 24, 2022
Best answer: Samantha Irby just recommended a few guided journals that sound like they might work: Keep Moving by Maggie Smith and Getting to Center by Marlee Grace.
posted by stellaluna at 8:14 AM on March 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by stellaluna at 8:14 AM on March 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by sulaine at 5:29 PM on March 24, 2022